The Message
by firelight3000
Summary: Alice is alive, XD and she has a message for the Seeker


_Authors note: This is just a little one-shot about what may of happened if Rahl had not killed Alice, enjoy. XD This is set during Reckoning._

There it was the people's palace. It was nothing like Richard had expected and apparently nothing like what Cara expected. "What happened here?" Her voice shook with what could only be named as fear.

"The Master, that's what happened here." A voice from behind made Richard jump, turning, he unsheathed his sword. Cara, sensing danger, raised her agilees and fell into a fighting stance, just in time to see Richard lower his sword.

The voice belonged to an old woman. She stared at Richard so deeply, that he knew this woman knew who he was. "Who are you?"

"My name is Alice; I have a message to deliver to the Seeker. It is from queen Kahlan" Richard gasped, this woman knew Kahlan. He was about to ask her what the message was when Cara beat him to the chase.

"What is this message?" Her voice clearly told Alice that she did not trust her. That was fine with Alice, it was the Seeker that needed this message, not her.

"In my youth I was the queen's ladies maid. I was assigned to her when she married Rahl. At first I had no idea why she did it, I could see it in her eyes; she loathed him. But then I looked outside and I saw how much better the world was with her as our queen. She soon fell pregnant and Rahl was most pleased. Near the end if her pregnancy, she told me what she had done."

"Why did she do it?" Richard's voice was cracked and broken, but you could still detect the sadness in his words.

"Why did she marry Rahl? She did it for you. When she was first captured, Rahl had asked her to marry him, but she refused, so she was thrown in the dungeon. Apparently Shota heard her crying and asked her what was wrong. She told Shota that you and Zedd were dead. I think at that time she had truly given up all hope of ever seeing you again. Shota told her when and where you were and how you could reverse time. Do you know what the first words from her mouth were?"

"No, how would I know and there's away to go back?" Richard's head hurt. This woman, Alice, was the key, he just had find out how.

"There is always a way Seeker. The first thing she said was "I will be an old woman then" Shota found that quite funny and pointed out that Rahl would not let her live that long. Shota told her to get back to your time you would need to replicate the exact magic that bought you here. You would need the magic of the agilee, the magic of orden and, of course, the magic of confession. Although queen Kahlan knew she would never live that long, so she did the only thing she could think of; she conceived a child with Rahl. While she was pregnant, she told me many stories of you. Even after all she had been through, it was clear she was madly in love with you. In all my life I have never seen love so powerful and that's what made her strong. It was the only thing keeping her sane.

That's when it went wrong. Instead of giving birth to a girl like she had expected, she gave birth to a boy. She soon realised that Rahl had done something to her as her sister had given birth to a boy. She pleaded with Rahl, told him she would bare another child for him, she knew the child had to die, but Rahl refused her, making some snide comments about how his mother would not let him become a monster.

For twelve years, it seemed that way. He shared his toys, he learnt well and Kahlan was beginning to wonder if Rahl was right. That was the day that everything changed. I received orders from Rahl to pack Nicolas's things and was told that he would be going to Aydindril to train with Rahl's wizards. When I told Kahlan, she realised that she would have to tell Nicolas what he must do then, but then Ethan ran in. He ran straight past Kahlan and I and gave something to Nicolas. Nicolas unwrapped it; I was nearly sick. Inside the cloth there was a finger, Ethan's finger. Ethan asked if he had pleased him and Nicolas said yes. Kahlan realised that Nicolas had confessed Ethan. She told me that by sunrise Nicolas would be dead."

"I don't understand why would Kahlan kill this Nicolas boy?" So far Kahlan's story had terrified Richard, how could he let her go through all that suffering?

"Because she had to. She didn't want to kill him, but she could see the monster inside of him. Before she died, she told me to tell you that..." A sudden wind made Alice fall silent, she'd heard rumours, but it couldn't be. True to the rumours, Kahlan's spirit rose from the rubble.

Feeling the wind ruffle his hair, Richard stood up and saw something that he thought he would never see again. Kahlan glided towards him, her feet never touching solid ground. When she landed in front of him she said, "Don't worry Alice, I can tell him myself."

"Kahlan?" Richard fell forward, landing on his knees by her feet. Seeing Richard so vulnerable, Kahlan bent down and met his eye.

"Richard listen to me, I have failed you beyond imagining, but there is still a way you can put this right. I may be dead, but Nicolas isn't, find him put the boxes together and return to your time. This is the message: Just tell him, Alice. Tell him that his own Confessor never stopped loving him. And that if he can't undo the magic, if he can't return to her then, she'll be waiting for him, in the Underworld, forever."

"Kahlan, you could never fail me, never but I don't know if I can; what if I fail you instead?" The tears were now streaming down Richards face, making his words nearly illegible, but Kahlan understood him, she always did.

"Richard I know you, you are strong and you are wise, you will find a way. Just promise me one thing."

"Anything" He was near to breaking point, but he would do anything for Kahlan, even if he had to give up his life, he would do it for her.

"If you fail, come and find me in the underworld, do not stall in the land of the living. All is lost here." Her voice help such strength and power that it made Richard hope, he knew that he would be with his Kahlan again.

"But I don't understand; how did you die?"

"Alice will tell you all that you need to know. Do you promise?"

Richard nodded, "I promise". With the words still fresh in the air, Kahlan's spirit floated into nothingness. There was no goodbye, just an "I love you" whispered on the wind.

Blinking away tears, he turned back to Alice and asked "What happened?" She told him the whole story of how Ethan had run in on Kahlan and how Nicolas had told Rahl that he would kill Kahlan. She also told him how Nicolas had murdered his father over his mother's grave.

When she finished the tale she muttered her final words, "My message is now delivered, this world is of no use to me" and stabbed herself, severing her connection to this world.

Cara bent down and stuck a finger in her ear, "She's dead." Her voice held no emotion, she refused to be week.

Cradling Alice's cooling body; Richard turned to Cara and declared "The master will be destroyed at sunset."


End file.
